Content warning: this session discusses suicide and suicide prevention. Please take care of yourself when listening.
In episode 241 of the Social Housing Round Table, Matt Baird is joined by Andrea Newton, Founder of Confident Conversations and a qualified suicide intervention tutor, for one of the most important conversations the platform has hosted.
Matt opens the session with a tribute to Paul Bridge, a friend of the Round Table who ran a suicide prevention session on this platform a couple of years ago, and who has since died by suicide. Today's session is dedicated to him.
Andrea brings decades of experience training people from across sectors — from Samaritans volunteers to the Ministry of Justice — to have the sensitive conversations that can save lives. Her central argument is simple but challenging: less than half of the people who die by suicide in the UK would be classed as mentally ill. The majority are people who are simply overwhelmed by life. And housing professionals — going into people's homes, dealing with their finances, their neighbours, their behaviour — are uniquely placed to notice when something has changed.
The session covers the three core principles of suicide prevention: spotting the signs, opening the conversation, and signposting to help. It tackles the fear of saying the wrong thing and why compassion and curiosity matter more than a perfect script. It explores Andrea's challenge to the sector to shift from asking people to reach out, to actively reaching in. And it addresses the intersection of suicide and domestic abuse — a connection that is more common than many people realise.
Contributions from around the room brought the conversation to life, including a powerful account from a housing professional who had helped a tenant disclose suicidal thoughts during what had initially presented as a rent arrears issue, and supported her through it. As Andrea put it: it is the silence that kills.
Andrea runs a free webinar on 15th September on the connection between suicide and domestic abuse. Find out more and access her training at confidentconversations.co.uk.
Big thank you to Alertacall Ltd for sponsoring The Social Housing Round Table, without them, none of this would be possible.
